Smolder Me
by EndlessImmortal
Summary: Edward saves Bella from a burning building in London when a party goes astray, and they fall in love. Sorry, but I suck at summaries.
1. Before

Prologue

I studied his perfect face in the pale moonlight; trying to memorize it. With his cold, pale skin, perfect, angular features, long, muscular frame, and the tangle of bronze hair—I truly believed that he was an angel. I saved the eyes for last. They were a mesmerizing honey-ocher color, and they were smoldering with a burning intensity that my own chocolate colored ones could only dream of achieving. Even though the night was warm where we stood on the rooftop of the luxurious hotel, over looking the grand skyline of London, a chill ran through my body as Edward pulled me closer into his icy chest.

I had never thought of myself as beautiful, but Edward thought I was. I have a heart shaped face, eyes the color of melting chocolate, a short, slender body, and long brown hair. I don't really know what Edward likes about me, but I have to say that I have him mesmerized.

"Bella, I love you." He whispered those four words in my ear and I was stunned into silence. No one has ever said that they loved me before, besides my family.

"I love you too, Edward." And out of some crazy impulse, I reached up and my lips hungrily found his, and then crushed themselves against his as if they had a mind of their own. He didn't object. I barely noticed when his lips left mine and pressed against my throat. I barely noticed when His teeth penetrated my skin until I was set on fire.


	2. Greetings

Chapter One:

24 hours earlier

I stumbled off the plane, dazed and disoriented by the 16 hour long flight. Well at least the view was good. I hurried off to retrieve my bags and called my sister, Analice (ana-leese), to tell her that I had made it safely. She was getting married tonight, and I got an invitation—which was the reason why I had left my home in Phoenix, AZ to come to London. Her husband-to-be's name was Jason, and he was not at all my type, but perfect for my sister. They were both loud and rambunctious, while I was quiet, shy and really clumsy.

I stood patiently by the luggage cart and grabbed my bags. I hauled a taxi on my way out and gazed at the wonderful scenery throughout the sprawling city. We arrived shortly at the hotel—which was very grand by the way—and I rushed inside to check in. I started to walk down the hallway to my room when a musical voice interrupted me.

"Excuse me ma'am, but would you like for me to carry your bags?" I turned, curious to see what wonderful creature could possible have this wonderful voice, only to see a beautiful man standing in front of me. He looked about my age; he had long muscular limbs, flawless white marble skin, and a weird color of bronze hair. But his eyes were a warm honey color—almost like liquid topaz stones. I ogled at him for a few seconds, stunned by his inhuman beauty, and had to find my voice before I could answer.

"Sure. That would be great." I answered politely with a warm smile. They _were_ a little heavy. He grabbed them effortlessly and walked by my side as I led him to the elevator.

"So," He asked conversationally, "what brings you to London?"

"My sister, Analice, is getting married tonight." I explained. Apparently my answer surprised him because he stopped short to stare at me.

"Did you say Analice?" He asked me abruptly.

"Yes" I was wary.

"Is she marrying a man named Jason?" I was utterly shocked. What could this man know about Jason?

"Yes. Do you know him?"

"I'm Jason's best friend. I got invited to the wedding, too." He smiled again.

"Wow. It's a really small world. I'm Bella by the way." I said in awe.

"I'm Edward Cullen," He shook my hand, and an electric jolt passed through us. His hands were icy cold. "Would you like a ride with me? To the wedding I mean." He offered. Wow, this guy sure likes me, I thought

"That would be very nice. Um, do you think we could leave soon? I still need to get a dress." I bit my lip. Hoping he would say yes. I was becoming very fond of him.

"Sure. My shift ends in a few minutes. I'll finish taking these bags up for you and I will go clock out and get you in a little while."

"Okay, that's fine." I replied. We got to the elevator then and I pressed the number 17, my floor.

"What kind of dress are you looking for?" Edward asked me on the way up.

"Well, the colors are deep blue and silver, so maybe a blue one. I'm not sure; I'll see when I get there." I looked at him and he was staring at me intensely. The elevator dinged and we stepped out. He handed me my bags, and I went to unlock my door.

"Well, Bella, I guess I will see you in a few minutes." He said.

"Okay, Edward. See you later." We smiled at each other and I dashed inside the room and flopped onto the large cushy bed and tried to rule out my thoughts.

I thought the obvious. I liked Edward. Edward liked me. He was gorgeous. I was not—well in my mind, maybe not in Edward's.... He was the best friend of my sister's fiancé. And I might be in love with him. I know that I had only just met him 5 minutes ago, but I already felt a bond in through him. I felt attracted to his magnetic personality beyond my will. Not that I didn't like it or anything, it was just weird. I decided to get up and get a shower.

I let the hot water unknot my stiff muscles and let the steam clear my mind. I got out and dressed in a tight fitting purple shirt and a pair of jeans. I blow dried my hair and grabbed my wallet. I went to grab the door handle to go find Edward when someone else opened it, and out of shock and my clumsiness, I stumbled back and the next thing I knew, I was in Edward's arms—he had caught me before I hit the ground. Our eyes locked briefly and I felt warmth seep under my skin as I blushed. He noticed that I had blushed and he took it the wrong way. He let me go and smiled. I smiled back.

"Sorry about that, I'm a little clumsy at times." I said. Edward laughed.

"That's okay, just as long as you let me catch you when you fall." How flattering. He _wanted_ to save me.

"That's perfectly fine with me." I answered. He under stood what I was saying and he held my hand as we walked out of the hotel. It was cold, but I liked it. He said that his car wasn't working at the time, so we got a cab to the nearest department store.

When we stepped inside, it was any girl's dream. Racks and racks of clothes and big glass display cases of jewelry. I ran strait to the dresses and grabbed the one I spotted out from across the room. It was silk in a deep blue color and it was strapless about knee length, and flowing at the bottom. It had a bright silver tie at the waist, and embroidered down the left side in tiny silver beads were roses and swirls. It was the most beautiful dress I had ever seen. I glanced back at Edward, who was appraising my stance with the dress in my arms.

"This is the one." I told him sincerely.

"Okay. That was easy. Let's go try it on." He put a hand on my elbow and I followed him to the dressing room. He waited out side and I rushed in to try it on. I slid the slick fabric over my head and it glided smoothly into place, hugging all the right curves. I had to admit it—I looked pretty good. I stepped out to show Edward, and his eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets.

Do you like it?" I asked him, twirling around to watch it flare out at the ends.

"You look beautiful." He stammered after a minute. I blushed deeply.

"Thank you, Edward." I said gratefully. I ducked back in the dressing room so he couldn't hear my heartbeat accelerate. I hastily took off the dress and skipped out to get some accessories.

"Jewelry time," I told Edward.

"Okay. I really like the dress."

"Thanks." I dragged him to the counter where I purchased a silver rose necklace that would perfectly match my dress.

"I'm done Edward; I really appreciate you taking me here." I told him.

"It's nothing." He told me as we slid into the backseat of a cab and headed back to the hotel.


	3. Extravagant

**AN: sorry that the last chapter was so short. I wanted to get everyone introduced. I assure you this one will be better. R&R please! =)**

Chapter Two: Extravagant 

I returned to my hotel room, exhausted, and realized that it was 4:30. I had an hour and a half to get ready. I dashed to my closet to retrieve my dress and accessories from the shopping bag. I pulled out the dress and marveled at it for a while before I went to go lay it out gingerly across my bed. I grabbed my make-up bag and went to the rather large bathroom and sat in a swirly chair in front of the mirror.

I plugged in my hair curler next to the sink and dumped out the contents of my bag onto the pearly counter. I put my hair back so I could start on my makeup. I wanted to look _extra_ gorgeous tonight because Edward would be there. I lathered on my base and prepared to wait while it dried a little. After a minute I applied my powder and my silvery eye shadow; it was very subtle. I next did my mascara and eye-liner, then put half my hair down so I could begin to curl it. I checked the clock and it was 5:07. I freaked out at this and, once again being my own clumsy self, grabbed the curling iron by the wrong end and scorched my hand. I shrieked rather loudly in agony and stuck it under the flowing cold water. After internally scolding my self, I began to curl the bottom half of my hair. It only took a minute, and I let the other half down and began on that. It was 5:30.

After finishing my hair, I ran to my bed and began to change into my dress. Right when I was in the middle of gently sliding it over my head, I heard a knock on the door. My heart accelerated at the thought of it being Edward, and I ran to go answer it."Edward? Is that you?" I asked through the door.

"Yes. Can I come in?" He asked back.

"Um, I'm not entirely dressed, so wait a moment, please." I admitted, blushing deeply.

"Oh, I'll wait." I reached behind my back and tried to zip my dress up, and after a moment of struggle, I got it. After I checked that my hair was in decent order, I opened the door to let Edward in. when I saw him standing there my heart nearly stopped.

He was clad in a dashing black suit that contrasted well with his white skin, and it accented his golden eyes. I ogled some more and then my thoughts became coherent.

"Edward....you look really nice." I told him, not entirely speaking the truth. If I had, I would have gone into much more detail.

"I could say just the same about you. But I'm not going to go into detail—I might embarrass myself." He added with a grin.

"Thank you. Would you like to come in? I just have to get on my shoes and my necklace, and then we can go."

"That's fine. I'm in no rush." He stepped in and sat on the bed. I went back to the closet to get my shoes and sat down next to him while I put them on. He was watching my hands.

"What happened?" He asked me in a lightly concerned tone as he reached out and stroked my red hand. The iciness of his skin was soothing against the burn.

"Oh, I was in a hurry earlier and I accidentally grabbed the wrong end of my curling iron." I looked back at the memory and winced at remembering the pain. To my surprise, Edward chuckled.

"I thought I heard a scream on my way up here." He said with a smirk.

"Well, that was probably me." I said. I walked over to the dresser and picked up my rose necklace. It was silver with a small line of diamonds on one of the petals on the left side.

"Could you help me put this on, Edward?" I asked him while I walked over to where he was sitting, but he stood up and came to me instead. I handed the necklace to him and he gently placed the cool pendant around my neck; his cold fingers lingered on my collarbone as he untwisted the chain, and they trailed up my shoulders where they came to rest on the nape of my neck as he closed the clasp. I shuddered with pleasure at his touch, and he spun me around to face him. His eyes were burning with longing as he gazed at my face, and I gazed back at him, trying to rule out his impossible perfection.

His hand slid down my arm and grasped my hand. Even though his hands were cold, they left a trail of fire on my skin.

"Are you ready?" He asked me after a minute.

"Yes." I breathed. My mind was a little incoherent. He smiled at me, but behind his eyes I could detect a faint trace of a war going on in his head.

................................................................................................................................................

We arrived at the ballroom where the wedding would be held, and to be honest, it was a little too fancy for my taste. I exchanged a look with Edward, and he apparently thought the same thing.

We walked, hand in hand, to the doors where our names were checked off from a list and we were allowed to enter. If I thought the outside was fancy, the inside was worse; much, much worse. On the ceiling there was a detailed painting of angels circled around a garden, and I looked between the faces of the angels and Edward's face, and found little difference. There was a fountain in the middle of the room that was filled with brilliantly colored fish and rainbow rocks. The tables surrounding the fountain were covered in arrays of different foods. They ranged from assorted meats, to fruit and vegetable trays, to brightly frosted desserts. The lights were dim, and the walls were a midnight blue color; the effect made it look like nighttime. The floor was wooden, and an Alter draped with white roses was near the back, and it was surrounded with chairs. I checked my phone for the time: 6:03. We were right on time.

Everyone was scattered around the room, talking and mingling with each other. Edward and I walked casually around the room, talking only amongst ourselves. An announcer called out a while later that the service would begin shortly, and for us to take our seats. We traveled with the group, sitting near the back. Jason was standing at the Alter. The music started and I watched my sister enter the room, and she looked dazzling.

Her long brown hair was piled gently on top of her head and a gauzy veil was draped over her face. The veil didn't entirely block out the penetrating ice blue of her eyes, so they seemed to glow in the darkness. Her dress was lacy and silver, it looked 1800s-ish. Our father was at her side, but he didn't even glance at me. We didn't get along well. He placed her hand in his and they said their vows as according. As they kissed passionately, I looked away. When they dashed down the aisle, everyone around us erupted into cheers. The crowd slowly dispersed and the rumbling stomachs drove some people to the food-filled tables. I was drawn to the brightly colored cookies, and I started to walk that was when a strong hand grabbed my waist. I looked back and Edward was pulling me back. He leaned down to whisper something into my ear.

"Do you think we can go sit down somewhere private? I have something to tell you." His sweet-smelling breath tickled my ear and I nodded. He towed me across he room and we sat down in the corner.

"Bella, don't be afraid of me after I tell you my story. It might frighten you, but if I want to continue to be with you, you must know." He started in a hushed tone. I was curious to see what he was talking about, "Bella, I'm a—" He got cut off when a loud buzzing sounded and I looked over to see that the other half of the room was engulfed in flames.


	4. Reveal

**AN: this chapter will be a tad short because it will only go into detail about the fire and Edward's heroic rescue. It's kind of like a filler chapter almost. R&R please!**

Chapter 3

Engulfed

The acrid smell of smoke filed the room, and I looked over at the flame-covered table; the fire had spread throughout the opposing side of the room and blocked the exit. Everyone else was either gone, or dead. The heat radiating from the fire was making me dizzy, and so was the smoke. Edward looked frantically at me and my dizziness. He leaned over and scooped me up in his arms as if I weighed nothing. Great, on top of the heat and the smoke, his sweet smell was adding to the list of things clouding my mind. I could've sworn that I saw him kick out a wall before I blanked out from oxygen deprivation, and sank into unconsciousness.

***

When I awoke, I was laying on a soft cushy bed that was blanketed with what felt like silk. I opened my eyes groggily and recognized my hotel room. I felt a cool body pressed against my side, and I looked over to see Edward stroking my hair gently. He noticed that I was watching him, and he smiled gently.

"Edward, what happened?" The hoarse whisper burned in my throat, and the events of the previous hours came flooding back to me right before he responded.

"We were at the wedding, and some idiot thought that it would be funny to set the food on fire. I saved you from the building, but you blacked out from the smoke." He explained in a voice just above a whisper. I remembered the glimpse my brain dug up of him bashing down a wall.

"How did you kick out that wall?" I asked, my throat burning again. He glanced at me nervously.

"Remember what I was telling you before the fire started?" He asked me.

"Yes. You were about to reveal some secret identity, and you told me not to be scared. I could never be scared of you, Edward," I recalled.

"Don't be so sure." He mumbled, almost inaudible. I shot him a puzzling glance and he met my eyes with a troubled look.

"Bella, I'm a vampire." He said.


	5. THANK YOU!

AHH! Thank you so much, all of you supportive readers out there! I was amazed that this story has 14 reviews, which is 6 more than my other one which has been out for several months, while this one only 6 days! I will update soon, I promise! Thank you to Cassie, especially, for being supportive, and a great best friend! Shout out to you! *screams wildly* =] I checked my e-mails, and oh my god! I had 49 new ones, and more than half of them were favorite author, or favorite story, or some kind of alert, and I was SO happy!

Love you all,

Megan


	6. Changed

Chapter 4: Changed

"Excuse me?" I asked, dumbfounded. Vampires weren't real. They can't be real....

"Please don't be afraid of me. I would never hurt you. I don't hurt people." He said, the truth burning in his eyes.

"How can you not hurt people? Don't vampires live off blood?" I asked, skeptical.

"They don't have to." A hint of a smile played on his lips.

"What?"

"I live off of animal blood, not human blood—that is the reason my eyes are gold, instead of red." He explained. I was still very confused.

"I'm confused. Explain more, please." I pleaded. He smiled and settled down into the pillows, pulling me with him.

"I don't know who created me, but I only remember that it was excruciatingly painful." He paused to let me ask any questions, but I couldn't seem to speak, but he saw one in my eyes.

"Us vampires are full of venom, and we create more vampires if we bite a human and let our venom spread throughout the victims body. The venom burns up all of your blood, and stops your heart—when I say 'burns', I mean that literally. The venom transforms you into a beautiful, cold creature that is meant to be attractive to their prey, therefore draining the pray of blood." He stopped, after he was done answering my question.

"Any comments or concerns?" He asked gently. I was still too stunned to speak, but I still loved him. I was not scared of him. I worked up my voice and answered.

"I'm not scared of you." I answered weakly. He bent down and kissed my forehead lightly and smiled.

"I'm very glad. I don't think I could live without you." He said. I looked up at him and marveled at his beauty. "Do you want to go up to the roof? There is a fantastic view of the city." He asked. I agreed, and he helped me up off the bed.

When I was securely on my feet, I gave him a tight hug, and he let go too soon. He ducked down and scooped me up in his arms, not at all bothered by my weight, and cradled me in his arms as he opened the door and walked down to the elevator and entered. He pressed the highest floor button, and we rode in silence. His skin was cold through his tuxedo, and smelled very good. The scent was not of any cologne. It was too perfect. The elevator dinged, and we stepped out into the warm night air.

There were benches scattered on the rooftop, and the brick wall that made up the ledge was covered in deep green vines. There were roses scattered in the vines. Red and white ones; my two favorite types of rose. But overall, it was beautiful. We strolled over to the ledge and Edward stood there, letting me look over the edge.

The dazzling lights of the city were brilliant colors of yellow and red. The buildings were large and demanding, and I could see The London Eye from here. The bright, flashing circle was huge and pretty, but it made me dizzy just looking at it. Edward set me on the ground and pulled me into his chest.

I studied his perfect face in the pale moonlight; trying to memorize it. With his cold, pale skin, perfect, angular features, long, muscular frame, and the tangle of bronze hair—I truly believed that he was an angel. I saved the eyes for last. They were a mesmerizing honey-ocher color, and they were smoldering with a burning intensity that my own chocolate colored ones could only dream of achieving. Even though the night was warm where we stood on the rooftop of the luxurious hotel, over looking the grand skyline of London, a chill ran through my body as Edward pulled me closer into his icy chest.

"Bella, I love you." He whispered those four words in my ear and I was stunned into silence. No one has ever said that they loved me before, besides my family.

"I love you too, Edward." And out of some crazy impulse, I reached up and my lips hungrily found his, and crushed themselves against them as if they had a mind of their own. He didn't object. I barely noticed when his lips left mine and pressed against my throat. I barely noticed when his teeth penetrated my skin until I was set on fire.


	7. Burning

**AN: Sorry this chapter has taken so long, I wanted to build up the suspense. Just kidding, I lied about the suspense thing, which was just a lame excuse. I've just been really busy lately and I can never find time to type. I hope you find this chapter suitable to your liking, so enjoy and R&R please!**

Chapter 5: Burning

I inhaled quickly when the raging fire shot through my system, blocking out thoughts.

"Bella, I'm so sorry you have to feel the pain. If I could make it stop I would." Edward murmured in my ear. "I want to be with you, so this will only make it easier." I was too absorbed in the pain to respond.

I the pain started in my neck and traveled fast through my drying veins. It took all I had not to scream because I knew that it would make Edward feel guiltier about his decision. I lay there on the cool stone of the roof in Edward's arms, but the cold surfaces didn't sooth the burning venom. I faltered in and out of consciousness as the pain became too much.

***

I came back to reality after what seemed like ages when I felt the flames fading from my fingertips; I felt new hope. I lay there, and I realized that Edward might still be with me. I cautiously opened my eyes and I was still in his arms. I wondered how long it had been. I looked up into the sky and saw that dawn was breaking **(ha)** and I wondered what day it was.

I gazed up at Edward as the fire bolted up my arms and legs and it all came up to torture my heart. It pounded as fast as helicopter blades and it was the hottest fire yet, if it was possible. I sucked in my last breath to keep from screaming in pure agony. The helicopter blades slowed to a crawl, and my unwilling heart gave a last _thump_ that rang with finality. When Edward heard that last thump, his face broke out into a breathtaking smile and I had no choice but to smile back.

He helped me up and I felt like a new person. I looked down and my dress was still on. But the body that it was on was not mine. It was slender and curvy, with flawless white marble skin. My skin felt silky under my fingertips, and I reached out to grab Edward's hand, and I was surprised by the jolt of raw emotion that flowed through my limbs. It was like no other feeling I had ever felt, and I was sure that Edward had not mentioned the craving for his body that I would feel. I tried to push away the nagging feeling that his presence gave me, but it was useless. I was sure that I had surprised him by lurching forward and throwing my arms around his neck and attacking his lips. He cringed away from my embrace. I realized his reluctance and it took a moment for it to register, so I managed to unlock my arms out of the vise grip that I had around him.

"What's wrong?" I asked him. I knew that it was me speaking, but my voice had become velvety and bell-toned.

"Bella, I love you and all, but you have to be careful. You will be much stronger than me for a while." He explained. Oh, I never realized that I would be stronger than him, I thought.

"Oh. I'm sorry, Edward." I said. He chuckled and stepped forward to close the space that he had made between us. He leaned in slowly so I could remember to be careful, and He pressed his lips softly to mine. The blood—or should I say venom—boiled under my lips and I forgot about being careful and I practically attacked him. We crashed noisily to the concrete and I almost squished him. I leaped off of Edward, embarrassed at my behavior, and he sprang up after me. Deeply humiliated, I plopped down into a bench and sulked because I was too strong. He walked over and sat beside me. He wrapped his long arms around me and I was pulled into his lap.

It felt like there was a monster clawing at the inside of my stomach, a craving for Edward was what it felt. The monster growled when I ordered it to get control of itself. It took all of my might not to loose control again. I concentrated on breathing in and out, but Edward's delicious scent kept the monster clawing. I sucked in a deep breath and held it. He heard this intake and looked at me. I looked the other way on purpose, and I gazed at the rising sun.

The sky was a light grayish blue color streaked through with crimson. As I sat, watching the sun slowly rise above the forest by the hotel, Edward played with my hair, stroking it gently. Finally giving in to the purring monster inside me, I leaned into his arms and sighed deeply; I was very content with my position. I looked up at the sky again, and it was turning pink with cheery splotches of orange as it anticipated the light. Then suddenly, the sun broke through the trees and flooded the entire surface of the city with gold. The look reminded me of the fairytale of King Midas, because every surface the rays touched turned gold. When the rays spilled over the edge of the roof, Edward and I were bathed in light and our skin sparkled radiantly as if we were made of diamonds. I was sure Edward had not mentioned the sparkling thing as well as the craving, so I looked up at him, hopeful for an answer.

"I'm not really sure what goes on with the sparkling thing, but we can't go out side during sunlit hours with people around—we'd attract attention, apparently." He explained. I smiled at him, and I reached up to entwine my fingers in his hair and my lips met his. I tried unsuccessfully to keep my head, but my resistance crumbled to dust the moment our lips met. The monster was doing a happy dance inside my stomach and I shivered with pleasure when his hand slid down my back and he began to kiss hungrily down my jaw. Our lips moved together in synchronization, our breathing became ragged, and I untangled my hands from his hair and slid them under his shirt to feel along the smooth planes of his muscular chest. He pulled away for a moment to whisper, "I love you," into my ear and I whispered it back.

After several long minutes—or was it hours? I couldn't tell—we broke apart and I sighed blissfully, feeling completely happy. I sank into his arms and closed my eyes as the greedy monster purred happily inside me.

"Edward?" I asked dreamily some while later.

"Yes, my love?" He replied.

"Where do you live?" I was curious about where we would be staying.

"I own a cozy little cottage tucked into a green forest on the outskirts of town." He answered. I smiled at the thought of a little stone cottage, and I was glad it wasn't a huge mansion. "Would you like to go see it?" He asked, peering down at me for an answer.

"Yes, that would be nice.

We untangled ourselves from the bench and strolled to the elevator. Once we were back in the hotel room, I struggled to remember the last time I had been in here. My mind struggled to cross the dark waters that separated my new life from my human memories, and I came across one that looked right. I saw myself lounging on the bed with Edward at my side, and he was confessing him true identity... It looked like I was watching the scene through a dark screen, and I could feel it slipping away. I wandered to the bathroom to retrieve my things, and Edward followed.

When I entered the large white bathroom, I was half expecting everything to be gone because it felt like I had been in here curling my hair years ago. This reminded me.

"How long was I...unconscious?" I asked hesitantly.

"A little over a day, which is surprisingly short for a transformation. You are surprising me so much this morning." Wow, had I only woken from my slumber this morning? I thought to myself.

"How am I surprising you?" I asked curiously.

"Well for one, your emotions are very controlled. Most newborns are wild and crazy and need to be restrained. And two, you haven't complained about your thirst yet." He said. Oh, I never realized my thirst, but now that he mentioned it, my throat began to burn dryly, and I gasped at the realization. Edward looked at me in concern.

"I'm fine; I just didn't realize my thirst until now. Ouch." I said with a small chuckle.

"Oh, yes you will need to hunt soon. Let's get your stuff together—wait! Let me." He grinned slyly at the end of his sentence, and I walked back to the bed and sat cautiously on the edge.

My eyes widened in surprise as Edward dashed from the bathroom and began running around the room, collecting my things, so fast that even my newly improved vampire eyes could barely keep track of him. Five seconds later, he had my bags in one hand, and me in the other, cradled against his side.

"How are we supposed to get to the forest with all the humans around us?" I was worried that I would lose control and hurt someone. He looked down at me and smiled.

"I have a way." He said as he dashed out the door and to the elevator. I closed my eyes, not wanting to spoil the reveal to myself of what he was going to do, and a _ding_, as well as cool, fresh air greeted me when I opened my eyes. We were on the rooftop, and Edward was running at top speed—still carrying me and my things—and he flung himself off the side of the building, and we were falling.

**Wow, that was long! That makes up for the days that I missed, though. =]**


	8. Hunting

Chapter 6: Hunting

The fall was exhilarating and the cool air whipped my flowing hair around my face. I closed my eyes, and in a second, we stopped falling and I found myself swaying back and forth. I opened my eyes and we had landed on the rooftop of a neighboring building and Edward was pounced to spring to the next one. I kept my eyes open and he flew over the ledge again. We rushed down momentarily and the tiny cars below us looked like little specks. Edward gracefully landed on a window ledge sticking out the side and used it as a spring-board to get to the next building. When he landed on this next one, he took a sharp left and ran to the side facing the trees, and jumped over that edge, too. But this time we kept falling. He absorbed the impact on the balls of his feet and landed with a soft _thud_.

He set me down gently and turned me around to face him. I was a little dizzy from the fall, and I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my bloodstream. The adrenaline was like food for the hungry monster, and it fueled the biggest craving yet. Unable to control myself, I sprang up at him and pounced on his chest, knocking him to the ground. I tried to pry his shirt off, but he gripped my wrists and pushed me back. I was wrenched into an upright position and Edward had me locked in his iron grip and I was being restrained.

I fought with the monster to regain control, and I won.

"Edward! I'm so sorry! I don't know what happened, I just lost control. I guess the adrenaline from the fall wasn't helping. I could've killed you! I'm sorry." I stood up and ran through the trees, wanting to get away from him so I couldn't hurt him anymore. I wasn't sure where I was going, but I followed the faint trace of his scent through the woods and I hoped that I could find his home. I knew that if I did find his house that he would most likely find me there, but I needed to cool off.

I kept a steady paced jog for a while, but I was curious about how fast I could run, so I pushed myself farther and it felt like I was flying. I dashed through the forest like a breeze, and the cold, hard ground felt like silk under my bare feet. I was surprised that the trees that passed me did not morph into blurs of color when I passed. I could see every drop of dew on the leaves that I passed in perfect clarity.

I ghosted through the forest for hours, and I realized that I was still following Edward's scent without realizing it. I stopped running, and I walked at a human pace. I studied the forest around me, and I realized that I wasn't really surrounded by just trees anymore.

I found myself in what seemed like a small meadow that was filled with a rainbow of assorted flowers. The trees surrounding the meadow were varying shades of green and the grass beneath my feet felt lush and thick. I could hear a babbling brook somewhere to my left and I was reminded of my thirst. My throat burned savagely and I figured that without Edward here to show me, I would figure out how to hunt on my own. I stood like a statue in the center of the circular meadow and I soft breeze blew a sent so delectable towards me that my mouth watered. My thoughts shifted, and I was sent into hunting mode. I gave my body away to my thirst and my instincts, and I followed the scent that the breeze carried. I closed my eyes and let my mind do the walking. While I followed helplessly after the scent, a slave to my own thirst, I opened my eyes and found myself on a hiking trail. I gave no thoughts about it and continued to walk forward.

When I became closer to the scent, I broke into a run and chased the breeze. After a moment I reached the peak of the irresistible scent and I saw a full grown human man trudging his way down the steep forest path. It was human blood that my mind wanted. I stalked my prey silently, and an idea popped into my head. I tried to push the thirst back so I could talk, and I walked closer to the man and tapped gently on his shoulder. I scared him to death and he jerked his head back to look at me, and my looks rendered him speechless. His eyes widened in terror and he stammered at me.

"Um, hello, can I help you?" He had a deep voice, and I smiled at his politeness. I had been looking down the whole time, and I raised my eyes to meet his gaze. For some reason, the sight of my eyes scared him stiff, and he froze with terror. I took this opportunity to attack.

I sunk down into a hunting crouch and tried to speak in a gentle and seductive tone.

"Don't run away from me," I crooned when he turned around. My hand shot out to grip his arm. He turned and looked at me in horror. "You look _so_ delicious." I said to him. He looked puzzled at this comment and I was surprised when he broke free from my grip and ran.

Enraged by my dinner's escape, I flitted after the figure and tackled him to the ground, pinning his chest under my legs. I leaned down to press my lips to his throat, and he screamed out, but I popped my head up and put a finger to his mouth.

"Shh," I quieted him in a whisper, and then brought my lips back to his neck. I anticipated the taste of the red liquid before I bit. When I finally did, the relief was instantaneous, and I was sucking at the wound that I had made in this man's neck. The sweet crimson drink was the most wonderful thing I had ever tasted. I quickly drained the man of blood and threw his lifeless body away without care. When I stood back up, I was craving more human blood and I ran towards the general direction of the city to find more.

***

I stood at the forest's edge overlooking the city streets in front of me. Another breeze passed over my face and it also carried the scent of human blood. I thought up a plan to get to another human's neck, and I walked quietly in the shadows of the trees until I was behind a large building. To get into the dark alley where I would acquire my next meal, I would have to dash through a small patch of sunlight.

I ran at full power through the light and I reached the cool, damp stone of the alley. I waited at the mouth for a door to open and a portly man waddled out to put a bag into the Dumpster. Perfect, I thought to myself. I walked silently to where the man stood, and pounced on his back. He didn't put up much of a fight, so I got to the bite fast. It tasted even better the second time.

When I had finished this man, I picked up his body and tossed it aside into the smelly Dumpster. I sat on the ground while I thought of another plan; I was still very thirsty. I was halfway through thinking over a plan when the door opened again and a small woman stepped out. I suspected she was coming out here to see where the other guy had gone. But, unfortunately for her, she met me instead. I did the same with this human as I had done with the others, and I walked briskly toward the other end of the tunnel, another plan brewing in my mind.

**Sorry I made her so brutal, I just had to twist it around a bit. It would make me happy if you would click the little button below and comment on this chapter! **


	9. Family

Chapter 7: Family

I had successfully attacked and drained five other humans before I began to feel that my thirst was becoming quenched. I ran back to the meadow soon after I was done so I wouldn't get caught. I found the flowers and the musical noise of the stream comforting. I rested on the grass in the shade of a large sycamore tree when a small noise startled me from behind. I sprang up and spun in a circle to se what it was. I saw nothing, so just to be safe; I climbed the tree and sat in one of the up most branches. I lay thinking about the long day in my head when I heard another noise, but this one came from above me. Was something following me? I climbed several branches up and looked around. I settled back there, and began to think again.

"I can't believe you didn't see me." A tinkling soprano voice asked me from behind. I jumped up in surprise at the voice, and turned around to see a short, white-skinned girl sitting on the branch behind me.

She had super short black hair, and eyes that seemed to glow in the darkness. I noticed that they were the same color as Edward's.

"Who are you?" I asked to the mystery girl.

"My name is Alice Cullen," she held out a small hand to me, and I shook it cautiously. It was the same temperature as mine. Something about her name made something click in my brain.

"Did you say your last name was Cullen?" I asked.

"Yes." She replied.

"Are you a vampire like me?"

"Yes."

"Do you know Edward Cullen?" I was really going for the twenty questions tonight wasn't I?

"I do, do you know him?" She asked.

"I do, actually. He was the one who changed me." I explained. Her gold eyes widened at the end.

"Tell me everything." She pressed. I launched into my tale of meeting Edward, and the wedding, and how my cravings got the best of me. I skimmed over the part about all my slayings. When I was done, she looked at me with a nagging question deep in her eyes.

"Were you the newborn who killed those eight people?" she asked gently. Well, she caught me.

"Yes." I admitted. "I couldn't help myself, though. I hadn't hunted yet, and a hiker had wandered to close to me. He didn't satisfy enough, so I set off towards the city, looking for more." I defended myself. She smiled gently.

"It's okay we all slip up sometimes. And you're a newborn, so that makes it harder to bear." She said comfortingly.

"Thank you for understanding, Alice." I said. "Is there any more Cullens?" I asked after a moment's silence.

"Oh, yes. There's me, my husband Jasper, my brother Emmett and his wife, Rosalie, and Carlisle and Esme. Carlisle and Esme took us all in gratefully; Edward, too."

"How did Edward come into the picture?" I asked curiously.

"I knew you would ask," she smiled at me. "He was dying in a hospital in Chicago when Carlisle found him. He bit him to put him out of his misery and he stuck and ID with the name 'Edward Cullen' on it into his pocket before he left him. He felt terrible about leaving him, but I guess since he's still alive today he's been getting along good." She explained.

"Oh," That was my lame response.

"Shall we go find Edward?" She suggested. I nodded eagerly and we leapt down from our branches and hit the forest floor. I realized that it was light outside when we were out from under the trees.

"Do you know where his house is?" Alice asked me.

"Um, I've been following his scent, and I think it's over by the stream somewhere." I pointed towards the general direction of the water.

"Well let's go find him then!" she said brightly. We set off through the trees and found the clear, sparkling stream. I turned to my left, and I saw the cutest little cottage ever.

It was made out of a purple tinted stone and the shingled roof was obscured slightly by dark green ivy. The front door was polished cherry that gleamed out in the shade.

"Found it." I said to Alice. I walked up to the door and knocked gently. He answered the door almost immediately, and gasped in shock when he saw the two of us standing there in front of him.

"Bella!" He exclaimed and he scooped me up in his arms and kissed me passionately. The monster that had not popped out in a while was caught by surprise, so I didn't overreact this time. I kissed him back, and when we finally broke apart, he set me down with a curious gleam in his eye.

"Why do your lips taste like blood?" He asked me. I smiled sheepishly and confessed to my murders. He sighed heavily.

"I thought your eyes were brighter than they should be." He sighed again "I knew I should've gone after you. I thought that when you had calmed down you would find the house." When he was done, he must've realized that Alice was standing there, and he asked her who she was.

"My name is Alice Cullen, and I am in the same family as the man who changed you into a vampire." She replied.

"Really? What was his name?" He asked eagerly. She told him about the rest of the Cullen family.

"By the way, why are you guys here?" I interrupted sometime later.

"Carlisle is a doctor and he was called away for a business trip here in London and we came along. Would you like to go meet them?" she asked.

"Sure." Edward and I answered at the same time. We look at each other and busted out laughing. Alice smiled at our happiness.

"So," I had a question to ask a while later. "Will we have to walk through the city?" I asked.

"Oh, I forgot that it's not safe to put you with humans." Alice recalled.

"I have an idea," Edward piped up. He had been rather quiet when we were walking today. Mostly Alice and I would talk; I think we would become good friends.

"What is it?" I asked him.

"You can try fill up on some animal blood so it will dilute your human cravings." He told me.

"Well, I'm too full to drink anything else, but I could just hold my breath and we can run the whole way." I suggested.

"We should just do that." Alice agreed. "Plus, I would know if you would attack again today, but your future looks clear." I was _so_ confused. My future?

"What about my future?" I asked her, stunned.

"Oh, I must've forgotten to tell you about that. Well, me and my husband have 'special powers', if you will." She said.

"Powers? What powers?" Edward interrupted.

"Yes, I can see the future, but it has limits. The smallest change of thought can make the whole future shift. And Jasper can control and influence emotions on a crowd of people, or only one person." She explained.

"Well that's cool." I told her brightly.

"Very cool," Edward agreed as he bent down to kiss my forehead. The monster in my stomach stirred at that simple touch. Luckily this time I pushed it back down so I wouldn't hurt anyone. Plus, we had a guest near, and I don't think she wants to us sucking face. I shot a brief glance at her, and she shook her head as if she had seen a vision of me and Edward kissing. I smiled slightly and we broke through the trees t the edge of the city.

"Okay, follow me." Alice instructed. "Oh, and Bella, remember to hold your breath," She added. And with that she dashed off through the streets with Edward and I following close behind.

After a minute or two, we reached a professional-looking hotel and we strolled inside.

"Bella, pretend like you're asleep. Edward, carry her." Alice said out of the corner of her mouth. She approached the desk and Edward took me over to a nearby bench. We could hear her talking softly to the clerk and she turned to gesture toward us. Edward smiled and Alice turned back around to face the desk. After sitting for a couple more moments, she turned and walked toward us.

"The clerk gave us a key to get into the suite that the rest of my family is staying in. Come on." We followed Alice to the elevator and she pressed the button to get to the top floor. When we arrived at the door, Edward set me down and we walked over the threshold into the biggest hotel room I had ever seen.

The walls were an off-white color, and there seemed to be several different rooms. When we walked through the door, five vampires greeted us from opposite doors.

One of them was _huge_ and he had curly brown hair, and the female that was clinging to his arm was probably the most beautiful thing to walk the earth. She had long, golden blonde hair that hung down to the middle of her back and a body that could only be seen on the cover of a Sports Illustrated magazine. The other couple was standing closest to us, and the male had a fatherly look about him, and he had light blonde hair. The woman had a more round figure, not as thin and skinny as the others, and a warm smile that went well with her billows of caramel-brown hair. The lone male was tall, and had honey-blonde hair that was slicked back.

"Bella, this is Carlisle and Esme," Alice pointed to the couple nearest to the door. "This is Emmett and Rosalie," She had moved on to the burly man and the beautiful woman "And this, is my wonderful husband, Jasper." She strolled over to the vampire standing by himself, and he planted a kiss on her forehead. "Family, this is Bella and Edward." She introduced us. Carlisle stepped forward to speak.

"Edward? The same Edward that I saved?" He asked, staring in amazement, and Edward smiled.

"The very same." He answered. "This is Bella, I changed her several days ago, and I have to confess that she was the one who committed the eight murders yesterday." I looked down, embarrassed about the crime I had done.

"Hi," I said meekly.

"We are very glad to meet you, Bella, and I hope you will be able to come back with us to America." Esme said. I was stunned. They wanted to keep me.

"That would be very nice." I told her.

"Let's go get you cleaned up," Alice said as she walked over to grab my arm and drag me to the bathroom.

Once inside with the door closed, I was able to see what the venom had done to change me. I had to stifle a gasp when I saw the alien reflection staring back at me.

The woman in the mirror was exquisitely beautiful, and her eyes were the brightest color of red I had ever seen. My hair was damp and matted together with dirt, and I realized that my dress was in tatters. After filling a bath with warm water and vanilla scented suds, Alice graciously helped me strip down and soak my nerves away.

When I was done, and my hair was nice and clean, Alice provided me with a pair of clothes that fit me perfectly.  
I put them on and I walked out of the bathroom to see the rest of the family lounging on the couches, bags packed, and clearly waiting for me. I walked over and sat in Edward's lap. He leaned down to tell me something in my ear.

"Bella, our flight leaves in one hour. We're going to Forks."


	10. Help me!

UUGGHH! So I have super bad writer's block right now, and I am completely blank on stuff to write, so if anyone has ideas, I would be very grateful. =] you can either post a review or PM me if you have something. Thanks and lots of love!

Xoxo,

Megan


	11. Bloodlust

**Ah! This chapter took even longer than the last one. Major kudos to ****washingtongirl-91**** for the wondrous help, and you were the one who got all my creative juices flowing. =] R&R please. Enjoy!!**

Chapter 8: Bloodlust

"Forks?" I asked warily. "Where's that?"

"Washington." Alice had walked out of the other room and was carrying a laptop. She set it in my lap and I laid eyes on the greenest page I had ever seen. "And you'll need these," She added as she flicked a box at me. Brown contacts.

"Thanks." I muttered as I opened the box and took the package out. I pressed the lens into my left eye, and my perfect vision kept focusing on microscopic scratches and dents. I took out another one and put that one in.

"They're uncomfortable, but they help," She told me.

"How did you know?" I asked.

"I can see the future, remember?" She replied, tapping her forehead. Oh yeah, I thought. I remembered the laptop and looked down.

It was a page that had assorted pictures of what I assumed to be Forks. One was of a green sign that said in slanting letters: Welcome to the Town of Forks. All of the other pictures were of forests that were blanketed in a haze of green; the trees, the tree trunks, the ground, and even the _air_ looked green.

"I don't think I can stand that much green," I said truthfully. Alice trilled a high, pealing laugh.

"You get used to it," She assured me with a smile. I looked at Edward, and he smiled reassuringly. I smiled helplessly back.

Well, I guess," I realized that I had no other choice. I looked back into Alice's wide tawny eyes and gave her a martyred look. "I have no choice, anyway." I said grumpily. I then realized something important when I was thinking about

"Edward, where are my clothes?" I asked him, twisting on his lap to face him and give him a serious look.

"Uhh, I left them in the house." He said truthfully.

"Well, how will I get any clothes?" I asked.

"We can go shopping!" I heard a new voice trilling along with Alice's at the same time. I looked over at Rosalie, who had gotten to her feet and she looked almost as excited as Alice.

"Uh-oh, be prepared, Bella, they can be pretty hardcore shoppers," Emmett rumbled from the other couch. Alice shot him a glare. He just laughed.

"We're only bad to you," she snapped at him.

"Well, that's true," He agreed, nodding.

Carlisle got up and checked his watch.

"Is it time to go?" I asked, standing up too. He nodded at me. Edward stood up next, and bent down to knock my knees out from under me. I let out a small squeal when my feet left the ground, but he caught me in his rock-hard arms. He flashed me a dazzling smile, and the sunlight that was streaming in through the window reflected off his teeth and threw rainbows around the room. The smile awoke the covetous monster in my tummy. It purred and grumbled, but I bound and gagged it—I had no particular desire to set it loose in front of my new family. Edward must've noticed the dilemma in my eyes, so he let me down and locked his arms around me. The tight embrace would suffice to keep the monster happy for now.

"It's okay, love." He murmured in my ear. "We can deal that out when we get home—just hold your breath for now." What about holding my breath? That wouldn't help my yearning.

"Why should I hold my breath?" I asked, pulling my head back to look at him.

"Because then you wont smell the blood," He said slowly.

"Oh, I was thinking of something else." I said. I expected the familiar blush to creep onto my face, but I would never blush in this body again.

"Hmm," He replied, looking out the window.

"Can we go now?" Alice whined impatiently from behind me.

"Yes," Carlisle said, and flitted to the door. The rest of the family stood and followed him; they all seemed to be suddenly carrying bags. I walked forward and joined them. I held my breath and walked slowly out the door and down the hallway. I was completely oblivious to my surrounding area and my mind was focused on not concentrating on the bloodlust that I could taste on my tongue. Edward walked beside me at some point and linked his arm with mine. His presence soothed my mind and made it easier to walk. I was amazed that only a second had passed since I walked out the door—it felt like hours.

I darted into the safety of the elevator, and the rest of the Cullens filed in after me. Their sweet perfume blocked out any other scent that might've lingered in the elevator from previous inhabitants. Just as Carlisle leaned over to press the close button, and man clad in a brown pinstriped suit dashed forward and caught the door. I swore under my breath. The elevator was big, but almost not big enough to fit all of the Cullens plus the man. I was hyperaware of his beating heart, and Edward started to hum lullabies. I figured he was trying to drown out the sound of the man's pulse.

I was grateful when he stopped at the next floor and I was able to take a safe breath. I inhaled and exhaled repeatedly until we reached the lobby, where I took another deep breath and held it. Edward led me over to a chair, and we sat while the rest of the Cullens talked to the clerk.

"You are doing very well," Edward noted in my ear after a couple minutes.

"Thanks. I almost lost it in that elevator." I admitted. He laughed a humorless laugh.

"Well, I guess it's good that you have no need to breath, because it will be much worse on the plain." He muttered darkly. I gasped when all this clicked in my head. _Will I loose control on the plane? _I asked myself _what would happen if I did._ I tried not to let myself mull over these thoughts, and Edward helped me.

"Let's change the subject," He suggested. I nodded softly. "Let's see," He continued. "What do you think about going to Forks?" He asked finally.

"I think I will learn to like it. Will I have to pretend to go to school?" I said.

"Hmm. Not for a year or so; I don't think you can control your thirst. After this graduation we will be moving to different state. We can't stay in one place for too long because people are bound to notice if we never change our appearances for years." He answered in a hushed tone.

"Oh. I never thought of that." I whispered back. He nodded and we sat still for a couple minutes. Those minutes felt like mere seconds; time flew by so fast in this body that I could barely keep track of it. The rest of the group walked up and joined us by filling up the rest of the chairs and the one couch.

"We arranged for a rental car to be brought here. I didn't think it would be safe to have a human drive us to the airport." When Carlisle said this he shot a worried glance at me. My eyes narrowed.

"I'm fine, but thank you for making the extra precautions." I said.

"You're quite welcome," He flashed me a gleaming smile. I smiled meekly back at him.

After ten minutes of sitting in silence, a sleek, red convertible sports car slunk into the parking lot of the hotel. I expected this to be the rental, so I got up and started to waltz over to the door. I stopped when something felt wrong; I was alone. I looked back at Edward and he had one eyebrow cocked, a quizzical look on his face. I flitted back to the chair.

"Isn't that our car?" I asked him confusedly.

"No, of course not. We got a black one, not a convertible. That's too conspicuous." He answered.

"Oh," I sat back down and looked out the window at the car again.

A startlingly beautiful woman stepped out of the driver's side and she was dressed as if she had stepped out of a fashion magazine. Her long, billowing hair fell to the middle of her back and was a so-bright-you-almost-have-to-cover-your-eyes shade of fire engine red. She grabbed a small bag from the trunk of her car and walked closer to the door. After she had shaken her hair out her eyes, she opened the door and danced into the room. She did a quick once-over of the room, and her eyes widened at the sight of all eight of us sitting together, looking as beautiful as ever. Her eyes were a strange shade of violet; like a lilac-y reddish color. I frowned, and then it hit me: red. Blue contacts over red eyes. Only vampires can have red eyes. I gasped, and turned to Edward.

"She's a vampire!" I hissed furiously in his ear. He put a hand on my shoulder to calm me down.

"I noticed," He whispered calmly back. Her eyes narrowed slightly and she had a sharp intake of breath. Those violet eyes went from narrowed, to wide as saucers in less than a second. What's her problem? I asked myself. I guessed that he had realized that she was staring, so she recollected herself and walked faster than before to the counter. She told the girl behind the counter that she needed directions to some place or another, and the clerk smiled and turned to the computer to print them out. She shot a quick glance at our party and scuttled over to us.

"Hi," She stood awkwardly by a couch and greeted us.

"Hello," Carlisle smiled warmly.

"I'm not meaning to intrude, but are you guys the Cullens?" She asked in a high soprano voice. Carlisle and Edward looked startled at this turn of the conversation.

"Why, yes, we are. And who are you, might I ask?"

"Oh! I almost forgot," She giggled. "I'm Olivia," She held out her hand and Carlisle shook it.

"It's very nice to meet you, Olivia. I'm Esme, Carlisle's wife." Esme spoke this time and the rest of the family—Edward and I excluded—either nodded or said hi back. Carlisle stood up and I felt an introduction coming on. Sure enough, he walked over to the pair of chairs where Alice and Jasper were sitting and held his hand out.

"This is Alice," Alice smiled softly, "and her husband, Jasper." Jasper gave a tight-lipped smile. He walked over to the loveseat where Emmett and Rosalie were. Olivia followed close behind.

"Emmett and Rosalie," Emmett grinned largely, while Rosalie gave a smile that was clearly full of un-welcome ness; Olivia looked scared of her. Then they came to us.

"Lastly, Edward, and the newest member of our large family, Bella." Olivia's eyes raked over Edward's body and I felt a growl building in my chest. How dare she look at him like that? I felt the cold surge of jealousy wash over my body and my mind. I kept my head, though, for when she looked at me, I managed to keep my voice clear.

"Hello, Olivia," I tried to smile, but I'm not sure if it came out right.

"Hello," Edward whispered. She smiled back and turned around to face everyone.

"It was so nice to meet you all," She trilled in her high, annoying voice. Ugh, how I disliked her—even now, so soon after I met her.

"You're quite welcome to travel with us." Alice piped up. Edward shot her a glare, and I sensed that he didn't like Olivia either. There was something off about her, I could just feel it.

"Oh, how wonderful!" Esme chimed in.

"Where would we go?" she asked, curiosity coloring her luminous features.

"We live in Forks, Washington. What about you?" Esme said.

"Forks? Never heard of that place... Anyway, I live in Italy." She said. Edward's brows rose.

"Italy?" His serious tone had a hint of suspicion in it, "As in Volterra?"

"What's Volterra?" I whispered in his ear.

"I'll explain later," He whispered back. I glanced up and saw Olivia biting her lip.

"No, not Volterra—but I'm close, though." She had perked up in an instant.

"Hmm," Edward said, but I could still see the hesitation in his eyes. She smiled as if to back up her lie—I only thought it was a lie, but Edward did too, so I thought I would stick with him.

"Anyway... our car is here, so I think we should start leaving now," Esme said nervously.

"Alright," Edward said briskly as he gripped my arm and I was drug to the door.

Fortunately, three cars came because it would be hard to fit all nine of us into one, so Edward and I got our own car, Carlisle, Esme, Alice, and Jasper got one, and Emmett, Rosalie and Olivia got the other.

"Oh, I would hate to be Emmett right now," I told Edward as I slid into the silky leather seat of the car.

"Me too," He sighed when he got in the driver's seat. He turned the key in the ignition and it purred like a hunting panther. He pressed his foot down on the pedal and the car lurched forward. He apparently knew where the airport was, because he was speeding along the narrow roads of London.

"I think Olivia is hiding something," I said after a few minutes of quiet time. Edward took a deep breath and then sighed.

"Me too. I tried to get that through to everyone, but they didn't grasp it right. She's a terrible liar, even for a vampire. I know she's with the Volturi." His voice turned angry towards the end.

"By the way, you owe mw an explanation." I prompted him.

"Oh, yes. The Volturi." His face twisted in disgust when he said the name. "Even I know about them—I haven't met another vampire in decades—they consider themselves _royalty, _and they decide the vampire do's and don'ts. The three Volturi leaders are Aro, Cauis, and Marcus, along with their many guard members. They have their own protected city deep in the heart of Italy. They have their guard go out of the city to fetch them food so they can feed. But sometimes, they get together a group of tourists, whom they lure into the castle with tour bribes, and feed on them instead." I tried hard to suppress a shudder. "If any human knows about the existence of the vampire world, they must choose to become a vampire themselves, or be killed. They have some interesting characters on their side. There is Jane, Who has the ability to make people imagine that they're in pain. Her brother Alec is like the antidote to Jane—he blocks out all senses. Sight, feeling, hearing.... and Aro is quite powerful as well. Just by touching the palm of his hand to a person or vampire, he can see all of the thoughts that that mind had ever had. This way he can find out their weaknesses. I think I got everything. Any questions?" He turned to glance at me. I shook my head numbly.

Edward's speech lasted about five minutes, and that was long enough to get us to the airport. He swerved into the parking lot and turned the car into a space. We got out of the car and joined the others.

As soon as I stepped out I was hit by a wave of heat. The burn intensified in my throat and I gasped. Swallowing convulsively, I decided not to make a big deal about my thirst. I took even breaths—I was trying to get used to the smell. I walked stiffly over to Edward and locked onto his arm.

"If I try to break free, hold me back, please." I hissed through my clenched teeth. He looked down at me in alarm.

"Alright," He said as we walked closer to the entrance. I felt like my fingernails should be digging into his arm, but I knew better than that. Edward was too rock-hard for me to penetrate the surface of his skin. I looked at his face, and he seemed to be in agony. I looked over his body once to look for some sign of a disturbance, but I saw nothing. Then I saw my hand: My fingertips _had_ sunk through his skin, and the ends of my nails were about a centimeter into his arm. Letting out a small squeak, I released his arm and stared in horror at the five nail-shaped holes on his forearm.

"Edward! I hurt you.... How could I hurt you?" I was utterly confused. I though he would be invincible. Or was I just super strong?

"Its fine, love," He assured be as he lifted his non-injured arm and stroked my cheek. Even though his skin was cool, it seemed to leave a burning trail of fire behind it. "You're just a little strong, is all. Look," He was watching his arm, so I looked down at the holes. I sucked in a little gasp when they closed up before my eyes.

"How...?" I stared in amazement at his perfectly smooth arm. "Never mind, I'll just get over it." I said when we approached the security line. I held my breath when I handed the man my ID. He took a brief glance at it, and then did a double-take. He looked between me and the card maybe four times before he let me go. I grabbed the tray, and put my watch and my cell phone on the cold plastic. They went through the scanner successfully and then it was time for me to walk through the gates. I bit my lip before I passed through. Were there any weird qualities about vampires that might set off an alarm? I guess not because every one of the vampires with me passed through neatly. We retrieved our things and rushed off to our gate.

Esme handed out boarding passes and we all got in line to give them up.

"Just to warn you," Edward whispered in my ear when we were in line, "There will be a lot of people on this plane, and you must keep in control. Hold your breath and hold onto me—but not too hard." He chuckled at the end. I shot a tense glance at him before he handed the man our passes he checked them and let us through.

As I walked down the small path to the door of the plane, I might've started hyperventilating at one point. Edward told me to take a deep breath, and I obeyed. We all walked through the door at once, and two effects were instantaneous. One, all heads in the airplane—and there were many—turned to look at the troupe of beautiful beings entering. Second, I felt a boiling hot wave of the scent of blood roll over me, and I was sputtering and gasping for clean air.

I knew Edward said it would he hard, but I never thought it would be this hard. My mind was becoming clouded, and I was somewhat aware of Edward dragging me to a seat in the back of the plane. I sat by the window and took deep breaths. I was once again trying to get used to the tantalizing scent.

After a while, I began to lose control.

My head started reeling and I couldn't think straight. A new monster had reared its ugly head and this one was not passion, greed, and lust, but thirst, violence, and _blood_lust. Its presence was not glowing and warm like its brother, but cold, black, and hurtful. It ripped its claws at my chest as it tried to break free. My muscles tightened and I felt the venom flowing freely in my mouth. Edward must've noticed my rigid form, because he leaned over and wrapped his arms around me. His vampire scent blocked out as much of the blood scent, so my mind cleared fast. I sensed that this would be the longest flight of my life—not even to mention that it was a sixteen to twenty hour long one—so I made myself comfortable in Edward's arms. I closed my eyes, even though I knew I could never sleep again, and tried not to think.

**Thank you for having so much patience with me. I was slacking on my part as to give you something to read, so I feel bad, and I am sorry. Please forgive me. =[**

**Oh, and as a side-note, if you review (which I hope you do), please no insults or anything. I can't stand flames. **


	12. Traitor

**This is a little filler chapter, so it will be a tad short.**

Chapter 9: Hunting

Just a little tidbit of information you might need: If you are a newborn vampire, I do not recommend that you go on a sixteen-hour-long flight with a plane full of humans. It's almost impossible; I say _almost_ because I managed it. Edward had to restrain me several times, but nobody except my family noticed.

When we landed in Port Angles, there was no sun. I stumbled off the plane and gripped Edward's arm again, but I was careful not to break it off.

"That was horrible," I moaned when we walked up to the luggage wheel.

"Well on the bright side, you didn't kill anybody," Emmett chuckled from behind me. Just for fun, I whirled around and slapped him on the arm.

"Not funny, Emmett!" I screeched.

"Someone's moody," He grumbled and went to stand with Rose.

"Am not," I muttered to myself. Someone reached down and brushed my hair out of my face with quick fingers. That same person gave me a kiss on the top of my head, and pulled my face up to look at them.

"Bella, love, you did fine." Edward murmured calmly.

"Yeah right, you had to keep me back." I huffed. He let go of my head and slid his fingers down to grab my hand.

"At least you kept control and didn't hurt anyone," He said and he squeezed my fingers.

"Well, yeah, but." I protested.

"But what?" He asked.

"Ugh, I don't know, I'm so overwhelmed right now; I don't know what to do." I sighed. He chuckled humorlessly.

"It will pass soon, I promise." He whispered after he grabbed his bag and we followed the family out of the airport and to the cars.

"Now it's _your_ turn," I heard Rosalie whisper into Edward's ear before they scuttled off to another car. We had to ride with Olivia. I turned to gape at Edward.

"No," I mouthed to him. He shrugged with tight lips and slid into the driver's seat.

I went to grab the passenger door handle, but a different arm reached out and grabbed it. They yanked open the door and jumped eagerly into the seat next to Edward. Before Olivia closed the door, she looked up at me with false innocence.

"Oh, I'm sorry; did you want to sit here?" She asked.

"Yeah, actually, I did." I growled.

"Well, you're a little too slow." She chirped back, and she gave me a glare. Whoa, she needs meds. I reluctantly opened the back door and hopped in.

"So, Edward, where did you live?" Olivia gushed to him. He sighed and answered.

"I owned a little cottage tucked away in the woods,"

"Oh, how cute" She giggled. I gagged and settled back. It was going to be a long trip.

***

After one hour, much flirting from Olivia, grumbles from me, and less enthusiasm from Edward, we arrived at the Cullen house.

It was a grand mansion that was perfectly proportioned and had two gargantuan windows on the front and three stories. There was a wraparound porch that was white—like the rest of the exterior, and was surrounded by towering pine trees. Edward let out a low whistle.

"Fancy schmancy," Olivia muttered when she stepped out. I followed her and took a deep breath of non-infected air.

The air smelled cool and wet. There was a tinge of sweetness to it that I couldn't put my finger on. The breeze kicked up and a smell that was close to being as delectable as human blood. Instinctively I followed the scent, chasing it into the trees. I flitted down through the trees and stopped when I heard the smallest noise from behind me. I growled and flipped around. Edward was behind me with a look of amuse upon his face.

"It's a mountain lion. Go ahead and catch it," He told me. I took his advice and started up the winding path. I followed my nose to a large spruce tree, which I then grabbed a hold of and swung up to a branch. There the enormous cat was perched, watching me warily with yellow eyes.

It snarled and leapt toward me. I was tackled and we tumbled out of the tree and fell to the forest floor with a _thump_. I rolled and wrestled with it until I snapped the beast's neck and sank my fangs into it's jugular. The warm liquid ran down my throat and soothed the burning.

I sucked the cat dry and heaved its carcass of my body. I stood up and looked around to see Edward leaning up against a nearby tree and was watching me intently.

"Very nice job," He complimented. His gaze raked over my body, so I looked down to find my clothes in tatters. If I could have blushed, I would have.

"I'm a messy eater, I guess," I shrugged and he laughed. He walked over to me and hugged my shoulders.

"No, you're just new to all of this." He murmured.

"Yeah," I agreed. He grabbed my hand and we started to walk through the trees when a sudden noise stopped us.

Olivia stepped out from behind a tree, her eyes glinting maliciously and her red hair dancing like flames against the green scenery.

"I've been waiting to get you two alone," She growled as she leapt forward at us.

**Dun Dun Duuuunn! **


	13. Powers

**I give a special thanks to FOREVER DAZZLED on for giving me an awesome idea. **

Chapter 10: Powers

Olivia crashed into me, her marble body knocking me into the base of a large fir tree that swayed and fell on impact. Edward was stunned, but he leapt into the fight after a split-second. He landed on Olivia's back and snarled as he clawed at her neck. This distracted her and I flitted back to behind the tree and prepared to spring into action at the right moment. I wanted her to make a wrong step in the complicated death dance that she and Edward were doing. If she did, that would be the end of her.

I was stupid in thinking that I could will her to fall, but I put all my might into it, anyway. I narrowed my eyes and my vision seemed to be tinged with crimson. I felt a peculiar sensation swoop through my body and put all my nerves on a live wire. My eyes burned with my desire to make her fall, and I concentrated on only that.

It all happened very fast, then.

One moment I was watching her feet, and then in the next, all of the will and burning desire I had in me seemed to burst out in one string of sheer energy and wrap itself around her foot. I could almost see it; the string looked hazy—almost like the effect that extreme heat has on the air. I lifted my hand without thinking and pointed my finger at her leg. I twitched the finger to the right, and her leg jerked to the side, throwing her off balance.

I laughed when she fell, and Edward pinned her to the ground instantaneously. Curious of my newfound power, I stretched my string into a blanket using my mind, and formed it to her body. This time, instead of using one finger, I held out my whole hand and spread my fingers wide apart and pushed down. Olivia stayed where she was, almost like she was being forced down. Edward seemed confused about how she was staying put so easily and not thrashing around, so he looked at me, and his gaze locked on my outstretched hand.

"Are you doing this....?" He asked. I nodded numbly, not wanting to break my concentration. "Wow, well don't stop." He instructed. "Let her face free so she can talk, but keep her body down." I uncovered the blanket to reveal her face, but used the extra power to press harder onto her legs, arms, and torso.

When she was able to talk, all that came out were distorted cries and screams. She turned and looked at me.

"You," She snarled, her now red eyes glinting with something beyond fury.

"Me," I mocked lightly, still keeping my concentration.

"So that's your power," She mused.

"Shut up," Edward roared menacingly. "What do you want with us?"

"Me? I had heard about the ominous Cullen clan a few months when I was recruited to join the Volturi."

"I knew you were with the Volturi!" Edward accused.

"Well of course I am," she scoffed. "Anyway, I came here, looking for you guys. You see, Aro picked me because I have an extraordinary power. My power is to sense _other_ vampires' powers. I walked into that building because I could feel the pull of all the magnificent abilities. When I'm in a ten foot range of the vampire, I can know what the ability is. With Jasper's emotion controlling, Alice's visions, and Bella's.... puppeteer- ing, if you will, I came eagerly. I couldn't know what Bella's power was when I first saw her because she was too new; I knew Bella would be the strongest because she is only a few days old. Alice had already been bribed by my Masters, so I went for her. I almost tried this in the car, but with the others so close beside you, I would've never gotten away with it. But when I saw you catch the scent of blood, I knew you would travel far to get it. I told your family that I was going to try out your weird diet, so they willingly let me go after you. I stayed behind the tree until you approached, and here we are now." She explained. "Now, pretty boy, is that enough of what I want for you?" she asked in a sugary tone.

"Pretty much," Edward growled and he reached down to grab Olivia's forearm and wrench it from her body. There was a horrible metallic screech and she cried out in pair. Edward smiled cruelly and moved down her body, pulling off random limbs as he went. Her screeching became louder and so did the metallic scraping.

When only Olivia's Torso and head were left, Edward moved back up to her face and leaned down as if he were going to kiss her. He pressed his lips to her neck and bit. Still clinging to her neck, he jerked his head to the side and ripped her head off—literally. Still using his mouth, he flung the disembodied head into the pile of white marble, and even after it had landed, the flaming hair shivered as if it were alive.

My concentration finally broke, and all of the energy that was being pushed toward Olivia snapped back like a rubber band and the force made me stagger backward a few steps. I collapsed to the ground and Edward flitted over to my side and held me in his arms.

"Bella, Bella, Bella," He crooned in my ear. I was aware that he was touching me, so once again, the greedy monster awakened from the pits of my stomach and purred. _Not now!_ I told it. It growled and settled back down.

"Since when do you have a power?" He asked me.

"Well, since now, I guess." I gasped.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just in a little shock right now." I told him "I'm fine," We sat on the muddy, mossy forest floor, and he rocked me back and forth slowly, humming lullabies in my ear.

After about ten minutes, I decided that I smelt bad, and I suggested that we rinse off in the nearby stream before we returned home. We stood and trudged to where the sound was coming from and found the muddy bank. We stripped down to our bare skin and swam in the cool water.

I was not embarrassed about being non-clothed around Edward—I decided that we had been through enough together for me to feel comfortable around him. After much staring from him, and much staring from me _to_ him, we were finished. I climbed out of the stream and put on my ragged clothes. I sat at the water's edge, gazing at intricate crimson flowers which the sunset painted on the mirrored surface.

"We should be getting back now," Edward murmured from behind me.

"Yeah," I agreed, and he grabbed my hand as we darted through the trees and back into the clearing where Olivia was laying in pieces. I cringed away from the gruesome sight of her mangled body pieces. Edward grabbed my hand and we ran quicker than before through the trees and back to the house.

We burst through the carved mahogany door and we were greeted by the rest of the family. Alice yelled first.

"What happened?" She demanded.

"What was your vision?" Edward demanded back.

"I don't know I got some glimpses of you and Olivia fighting in the woods."

"We did fight—and I smashed her," He stated grimly.  
"Ooh, good for you!" She exclaimed. Then her she got a puzzled look on her face. "Why didn't we see and smell the smoke?"

"Smoke, what smoke?" I asked.

"You didn't burn her?!" Alice shrieked at Edward.

"I—I—I didn't know I had to!" He spluttered.

"Wonderful, she must've pieced herself back together by now." She grumbled after a minute.

"Wait!" I interjected. "What do you mean, 'pieced herself back together'?"

"Do you guys know nothing?" Rosalie asked rudely from the corner.

"Well, I'm new to this—I thought he would know everything!" I jerked my thumb toward Edward.

"Well I've been by myself for the past fifty years, Bella," He reminded me.

"Oh yeah," I remembered. "Well how did you know that you could rip her apart?"

"I remembered back in the airport when you dug your nails into my arm, and I thought that if I ripped her up into enough pieces, she wouldn't be able to go anywhere. I wasn't aware that I had to burn her though." He explained.

"Well thanks to you she probably ran off to her Masters," Rosalie said. Edward ignored her snide comment.

"What are we going to do?" The question was directed to Carlisle this time.

"We only have one choice—go to Italy and try to stop her." He instructed.

"Okay," Edward agreed and he turned around to face me.

"Do you want to tell them about your power?"

"Sure," I said.

"Tell me," Alice said eagerly as she stumbled forward to clutch my arm.

"It would be easier to show you..." I said mysteriously. She cocked her said to the side in curiosity.

"Go ahead,"

I spun around in a circle, looking for something to move. I spotted a large vase of red roses across the room and settled for that. I concentrated on the vase, and lifted my hand. I curled it around in mid-air as if I were actually holding the vase. I jerked my hand up and the vase moved with my hand. I made it do sharp, edgy turns, flips and rolls, while my family watched intently. Finally, I sucked my energy back in and set the vase back on the table.

"Coo, huh?" I asked Alice with a large grin.

"Wow," She responded. "Is that how you were able to trap Olivia so easily? By holding her down?"

Uh-huh," I nodded. Her eyes twinkled in excitement as a new idea crossed her thoughts.

"Flip me," She said.

"What?"

"Flip me. Use your power to flip me." I was hesitant, but I mustered up some left over energy and stretched my hand out wide to grasp and invisible Alice. I lifted my hand up and spun it around in a fast circle. Alice giggled, sounding like a child on a carnival ride. I set her back down and she was grinning hugely.

"How was that?" I asked.

"Fun!" she giggled. I smiled back at her. I had the feeling we would get along well.

***

Out in the woods, a body was laying in a small clearing. An arm was missing from that body, but it soon came clawing its way out of the trees and attached itself to the arm socket. A woman with flaming hair stood up and shook her limbs out. She turned and stalked off into the trees. Once inside the shelter of the forest, she took off at a sprint that no human could keep pace with. She was running so fast that she seemed to be gliding smoothly across the mossy ground. She smiled cruelly as her plans for exterminating the Cullens' flashed through her mind. _This should be fun, _she thought to herself as she flew through the green scenery towards the flickering lights of the highway.


	14. The End Epilogue

**Whaa! This is the last chapter that ends tragically. Thank you to all my fans who have stuck with me! This chapter is an epilogue kind of, so it will be short.**

Chapter 11: The End

"That plane-ride wasn't as bad as the last one," I commented to Edward when the Cullen family stepped off the plane.

"I agree." He leaned down to kiss the top of my head. We all walked through the small airport in silence. When we reached the doors outside, I was thankful that it was overcast—no need to start sparkling in the parking lot of an Italian airport.

Thanks to Alice and her theft skills, a brand new, shiny, canary yellow 911 Porsche turbo sat waiting at the curb.

"Get in!" Alice yelled out the open window.

"We won't all fit," Edward told Carlisle.

"You, Emmett, Rosalie, and Bella go. Esme and I will stay behind."

"Thank you." Edward told him.

"Good luck," Carlisle said. Esme shrieked and gave us all hugs.

"Go!" Esme hollered. We scrambled into the car and Alice sped off towards Volterra. She began weaving through the traffic, desperate to get to the castle on time...

We were stopped at the gate.

"No entrance today," The guard said lazily. Alice's face became blank, and she rolled down the window.

"You sure about that?" She pealed. Her voice seemed to catch him off guard, so he leaned his face closer to the window. His eyes widened when he saw her face, and they about popped out of their sockets when he peered around the car at the beautiful faces around him.

"Uhh," He gasped. I got an idea just then. I summoned all of my energy and shot a string at his arm. I commanded it to unlock the gate and let us through. His face became confused when his arm started moving on its own, but since he couldn't resist the power, so he reluctantly unlocked the gate and let us through.

"Thanks!" Alice called out the window to him as she drove ahead.

"Alice, I did that." I pointed out quietly.

"Really?" She looked back at me. "That was great."

"Thanks." I said quietly.

We were all silent as we traveled on the winding road towards the ancient city in the distance.

The car approached a stone archway and Alice fishtailed around and flung the door open.

"Edward, go with Bella so you can stop Olivia!" She ordered, and Edward and I jumped out and started to run towards the clock tower. We ran at our vampire speed and nobody saw us, we were so fast. We weaved in and out through the crowds of tourists, and they looked around dumbly when we came darting by and the air around them rustled their things. We leaped over a large fountain and somersaulted off the other end. Edward and I kept running as fast as we could to get to Olivia.

We soon came to the entrance of the underground entrance to the inside of the castle. **(If you are wondering how they knew about the entrances, Carlisle told them everything on the plane) **Edward leaned over and pulled the grate open with a loud screech. He dropped down first, and waited at the bottom to catch me. I leaped down and landed in Edward's arms. He set me down and we walked at a brisk pace towards the other gate at the end. I shot out my arm and grabbed his shoulder to turn him around.

"If we don't make it out of this alive, I want you to know that I love you, so much, and I always will." I told him. I closed the space between us and hugged him. He pressed his face into my hair and inhaled.

"I love you too, and much, much more." He put a finger under my chin and brought my lips to his. The growling monster finally broke free and let itself flow through my limbs. Edward snaked his arms around my waist and held me close to him. My fingers locked in his hair and our lips moved fiercely together. A low moan escaped through his lips and the sound of it made tremors of pleasure chase down my spine. His tongue twisted with mine and he pressed my back against the grimy stone wall.

"Having a nice last kiss?" An oh-too-familiar voice trilled from beside the gate. Edward and I broke apart and sprang forward to tackle her.

"Oh, no you don't!" A high soprano voice shrieked from the other side of the gate. An angelic little girl leapt out from behind Olivia and her tiny face was twisted in concentration and rage. I wondered what she was trying to do, and my question was answered when I was hit by a fiery wall of pain.

I dropped to the floor and writhed in agony. A harsh cry of pain escaped my lips and echoed off the wall. Edward rushed forward to help me, but a man that was bigger that Emmett jumped out and tackled him to the ground **(Felix). **I was still twisting on the floor, and the pain only seemed to intensify. Olivia then danced forward and stood by me.

"Do you want to be killed?" She asked in a sugary tone.

"No," I choked out frantically.

"Well too bad," She glowered simply.

She leapt forward and landed on my torso.

"I'm going to tear you apart piece," She tore off one of my arms to emphasize it, "by piece." She growled. My shoulder ached, but it was nothing compared to the fire.

I heard Edward cry out when Olivia began to tear off more chunks from my body. The last thing I saw was Olivia leaning her face into my neck with her teeth bared, and the last thing I heard was Edward's frantic scream.

"I will always love you, Bella!" He roared.

"I love you. Edward." I gasped brokenly before I felt the pain fade from my fingertips, and I was lost in the blackness forever.

**Noo! Bella died and I'm sad to tell you that Edward was eventually killed shortly after. Once again, tank you to all of my readers, and don't hate me for killing everyone—I had to end somewhere. Oh, and in case you didn't guess this, the little "angelic" girl with the fire was Jane. Please tell me what you thought of the whole story all together if you review, and like always, no flames, please. =]**


End file.
